Home Organization, Decluttering, and Cleaning Ideas for November

With Thanksgiving, cozy nights in, and various holidays on the horizon, it’s good to give your home even more TLC than usual in November. We have curated a variety of different organization, decluttering, and cleaning ideas to give you guidance and day-by-day plans to get your home looking and feeling fresh and clutter free.

General Decluttering Calendar

Our November declutter and organization ideas give you a full month of ideas to reset and reorganize various areas of your house.

30-day decluttering and organization calendar for the month of november

Organize your wallet and purse.
Put away ten items that are not in their right place.
Set a 15-minute timer to go through mail & other paperwork.
Put away the Halloween decorations.
Find one item to donate and one item to recycle.
Tidy and organize any display shelves and wall art/photos.
Set a timer for 15 minutes and tidy the kitchen.
Choose one drawer in the kitchen to declutter and organize.
Choose three shelves in the pantry or cupboards to tidy and organize.
Take 20 minutes to tidy a bit more of the pantry/cupboards.
Wipe down the small appliances in the kitchen.
Clean and organize the fridge for 20 min.
Organize your tea and coffee supplies.
Toss any broken dishes and mugs.
Tidy and organize the spice cabinet/shelf.
Set a timer for 20 minutes to organize the remaining things in the kitchen.
Toss any single socks without a pair.
Choose one shelf in the closet to declutter and tidy.
Choose one drawer in the closet to declutter and organize.
Organize all the hangers in the closet.
Donate shoes you no longer need.
Sort through your accessories and organize them.
Find one item (or more) in your closet to donate.
Declutter and tidy the nightstands in the bedroom.
Set a timer for 20 minutes and go through the house putting things away.
Organize your books (donating what you want).
Pretend guests are coming over and tidy the living room.
Find one item (or more) in the living room to donate.
Take 20 minutes to tidy and organize the bathroom.
Go through your fall photos and organize them.

Get the November Decluttering Printable here. The weekly calendar for November 9-15 is available here.

Detailed Weekly Decluttering Planner for November 16-22

Sunday, November 16: Set a timer for 20 minutes to organize the remaining things in the kitchen. Since the previous week was all about decluttering the kitchen, take 20 minutes to tidy and work on finishing touches for the kitchen. If you skipped last week, take 20 minutes (or more if you can) to do a surface clean of the kitchen.

Monday, November 17: Toss any single socks without a pair. If you think you might still find their pair, set up a ‘missing sock basket’ for a couple weeks. If, at the end of the 2-3 weeks, you still can’t find the pair, you can toss all the single socks.

Tuesday, November 18: Choose one shelf in the closet to declutter and tidy. Remove everything from the shelf and make quick decisions using the ‘keep, donate, toss, move it somewhere else’ system. Wipe the shelf before putting anything back. Repeat this whenever you get time with all the other shelves until you’ve finished decluttering and tidying all the shelves in the closet. Try to have assigned shelves to specific items (sweaters, jeans, bags, etc).

Wednesday, November 19: Choose one drawer in the closet to declutter and organize. Empty the drawer. Use the same system of ‘keep, donate, toss, move it somewhere else’ to organize the items. Before returning the items do the drawer, wipe the drawer so it’s clean. Some organization tips: Use drawer dividers for organizing the items better, and keep frequently-used items closer to the front.

Thursday, November 20: Organize all the hangers in the closet. Toss any broken hangers and donate extras you don’t need. Ideally, use one style and color or use wooden ones for coats, jackets, and suits, and use non-slip velvet ones for other clothes (dresses, tops, etc). Try to organize them using a system you prefer. It could be by category (jackets, dresses, shirts, etc). It could be by color. Or it could be by occasion (workwear, casual, formal, etc).

Friday, November 21: Donate shoes you no longer need. Go through all your shoes and think about the last time you wore them and whether they’re comfortable and a good fit.

Saturday, November 22: Sort through your accessories and organize them. Sort the accessories by category (jewelry, bags, belts, etc). Donate what you no longer need or want. Organize using best storage methods for your closet (e.g., dedicated jewelry organizer, drawer dividers for rolled belts, stacked cubbies for bags, small trays for hair accessories).

Get the November 16-22 Decluttering Printable here.

November 23-29 Decluttering Ideas

Sunday, November 23: Find one item (or more) in your closet to donate.

You could do this activity as a micro win and find one item to donate. Open the closet and do a quick 1-minute closet scan. Find an item that you haven’t worn in the past year, something that doesn’t fit anymore, or something you don’t like anymore. If you have more time, you can go through your entire closet and find multiple items to give away.

Monday, November 24: Declutter and tidy the nightstands in the bedroom.

Clear the surface and empty the drawers. Sort everything into 1) keep, 2) move to another place, 3) toss, or 4) donate. Try to keep only the items you use regularly (e.g., water bottle, e-reader, phone charger, sleep mask). You can use small containers to keep everything organized in the drawers. Before returning the items, wipe the surfaces clean.

Tuesday, November 25: Set a timer for 20 minutes and go through the house putting things away.

This is a great way to make a big impact by focusing on the things that bother you the most. In the entryway, you could put away the shoes and clear the bags. In the living room, you could put books away, fold the blankets, tidy the TV entertainment center. In the kitchen, you could put dishes in the dishwasher (or put the clean dishes in the cupboards).

In the bathroom, you could toss any empty bottles and arrange the toiletries neatly in the caddy or put them away in the drawers/cabinets. In the bedroom, you could tidy the nightstands or focus on putting clothes away (in the closet or the laundry).

Wednesday, November 26: Organize your books (donating what you want).

You could choose a simple system for sorting the books you have (by genre, by read/unread, by color, etc). While you’re sorting through the books, keep a donation box nearby and add the books you want to give away.

Thursday, November 27: Pretend guests are coming over and tidy the living room.*
* If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, you don’t even need to pretend.

Start by taking a quick look to see what to focus on first. Some easy wins include 1) clearing surfaces like the coffee table, 2) tidying the TV entertainment center, 3) folding the blankets and fluffing the throw pillows, 4) putting things away, 5) cleaning the floor/vacuuming, 6) dusting, and 7) adding a nice fragrance to the living room (e.g., scented candle, scented reed diffuser).

Friday, November 28: Find one item (or more) in the living room to donate.

This might be an easy win for you. But, if you’re struggling to find something, think of these categories: 1) decorative items you don’t love, 2) books you’ve finished reading, 3) blankets no one uses anymore, 4) frames or wall art you don’t want, and 5) furniture you don’t need or plan to replace.

Saturday, November 29: Take 20 minutes to tidy and organize the bathroom.

You could focus on some mini decluttering wins in the bathroom (e.g., tidying the shower caddy and tossing empty bottles, clearing the surfaces and only returning items you need, organizing under the sink, and organizing the drawers).

Get the November 23-29 Decluttering Printable here.